“It is a crime in some states to perform experiments on animals with tattoos,” PETA says.

The National Dog Registry recommends on its website that a number of the owner’s choice be tattooed on the pet in an easily visible spot.

But on social media, some of Rodriguez’s critics say he took the identification idea too far.

“My opinion is that if you want to mark your dog you don’t have to do it so large. The skin on a dog’s stomach is thin and will be more painful for the healing process. Nothing wrong with a small marking but a large one is a little much,” Jennifer L. Ward wrote in a post on Rodriguez’s Facebook page.